I Hate You Like I Loves Roses

5

His third year, Draco sourly regretted his choice.
Care of magical creatures.

He hadn't thought the previous professor would take his leave, not that Hagrid would be the new professor for this class.

It started horribly when he took them to walk horribly close to the forest. It was daylight, but, Draco still grew uneasy. He was scared to see it again. That thing that plagued his life.

Fortunately they did not go far. But Draco was still distracted.
And he saw something that chilled him to his bones.
He did not see it's face. But he saw a hand. That he now recognised to be elder.

He didn't know how he knew that, nor how he knew elder was a bad wood, cursed, associated with bad witches and bad omens.
But he saw it. And elder hand, without any leaves, he would even dare to say, scorched.
It was enough for him to get out of this class.

He knew full well what Hagrid had said not to do. And he did it. Not taking his eyes of the hand now scratching at the bark of the tree, like it understood Draco was going to get away once again. It only motivated Draco to make an even bigger scene, he knew the thing could get out at any moment.

Granger was the one who brought him to the infirmary. She seemed to mock how he sometimes he glanced back at the forest worriedly to see if Buckbeak followed them or something. He didn't correct her, he only pretended to die until they arrived.

He didn't expect Snape to show up when Hermione left. Pomfrey also left after putting his arm in a sling.

"You made a scene... For an arm." Severus said. "Draco Malfoy i have know you for years. And never again, when you broke fingers or foots in the forest making dumb and childish things, never have i seen you make such a scene. Have perhaps your theatre class made you dream of becoming an actor ? " he said severely.

Draco looked at him in the eyes and pointed to his own head.
" See for yourself." he answered more calmly.

Severus sighed and entered his head.
At first he saw nothing else than the forest, but then, he followed Draco's frantic eyes.
He simply thought perhaps his trauma of forests was too deep. But then he saw it when Draco froze.
The hand. Only the hand. The body was obviously hidden behind a large tree. Severus didn't even know if it could see something.

He saw Draco's way out, but he never took his eyes off the hand, that started to aggressively scratch the bark of the tree it was hiding behind. It was angry. Angry Draco escaped again.

He got out of the boy's head and held his own.
"It's getting difficult. Your parent's can say anything they want, the headmaster have to know. I'll owl them. And Rubeus won't take you near the forest again.
If he still do, and that's an order, you skip the class."

Draco nodded grimly, and Severus left. He knew Snape was as lost as he was. This curse made no sense at all.

Draco was scared. But he wanted to know. He too owled his parents to do something. After all, his mother's watch must have shown he put himself in danger, even if it was to escape a greater danger.

Instead of telling Dumbledore, his father decided the beast needed to be killed.
It pained Draco a little, after all he had used it to save himself. It was a shame, but he couldn't do anything about it.

When winter came. Draco made sure to be with someone each time he was outside of the castle. Especially in Hogsmeade, whom wasn't far from the forest either.
At some point when he mocked Granger and Weasley, he felt watched again, he was frightened and left.

Then he came back home for the holiday. It was relaxing to be protected by so many enchantments. He wondered if Hogwarts had any wards to protect themselves against creepy magical entities.